Oligodendrocytes of the jimpy phenotype can be partially restored by environmental factors in vivo.

Cross-transplantations of neural tissue between jimpy (jp) shiverer (shi) and normal mice have been performed under heterochronic conditions. In all series, fragments of E14-E15 embryonic neural tissue from the different donors have been transplanted into newborn host brain in order to study environmental influences by differentiated tissue on transplanted embryonic cell lines. Large patches of proteolipid protein (PLP)-positive myelin have been observed in the jp brain after transplantation of shi or normal embryonic tissue into the newborn jp brain, suggesting that the jp parenchyma did not inhibit the differentiation of other oligodendrocytes (ODCs). Jp embryonic tissue had the same mitotic potential as normal tissue, as demonstrated by the larger size of myelin patches observed when jp embryonic tissue was used instead of newborn jp tissue. By contrast, whatever the conditions, jp myelin patches were always obviously smaller than normal or shi myelin patches, suggesting that the myelinating capacity of jp ODCs was not enhanced by environmental factors. Finally, comparison of the ratio of successful outcomes observed following embryonic vs. newborn jp donor tissue, strongly suggests a partial or total normalization of jp embryonic ODCs survival by a more mature shi environment.